How much should I spend on a Watch?

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Before we venture into the financial aspect about the acquisition of a worthy timepiece, let’s consider the perspective of an established watch collector.

At the very start, collectors buy watches purely for personal pleasure and appreciation of their unique characteristics. Very often, collectors are extremely discerning buyers who buy watches that endure the test of time. The watches that they buy remain part of their collection, mostly forever. They are lovingly and carefully kept for the next generation.

Although it is possible to purchase watches that will retain or even possibly increase in value, it takes careful research and accumulating your holographic knowledge. The best way to know how much a specific watch may increase or depreciate in value is to compare them against the prices of pre-owned ones online.

It’s all about your money

In all good sense, you should not spend more than what you can afford. However, if you are thinking to buy and later resell your watch to recover your investment, think twice. If you’re not a professional in this field, you are at a crippling disadvantage, it’s best left to the experts.

What to look for

What you should be looking for is value for your money. You want to get a lot for your money. The soundness of your final watch purchase will ultimately rest on your summary knowledge of watches.

If you aren’t familiar or confident about the performance and features for the price level you are thinking, we recommend you do a little homework and research. You can start by going through our website first for the information we have already prepared for you. Then, broaden your knowledge horizon by harnessing the power of googling. You will be amazed at the tons of information on the topic of how to buy a watch.

You should also be aware that good watches are expensive. A good watch is a mechanical watch. They literally accompany you for life if properly cared for. End of story. The quartz-based watches are mainly to make fashionable statements. Technically, there’s nothing much to say, or expect. They aren’t made to be collected.

As a general rule of thumb, the pricing levels look something like this:

A classic mechanical watch, at the bottom end: $500

An entry-level, mechanical Swiss watch: $1,000 – $3,000

A mid-range, mechanical Swiss watch: $5,000 – $10,000

A high-end, mechanical Swiss watch: The sky is really the limit from here on.

It also bears reminding that not all $5,000 watches were created equally. Within the $15,000 – $30,000 range, the features and materials of the watches at this level tend to vary greatly – and wildly. At the $20,000 bar, you may get a watch encased in solid gold from a brand. You could also be getting just an entry-level steel watch from another. At this range, each watch may not necessarily be better than the other. You would have to take a closer look at the overall features, movement, and characteristics of the brand.

The prevailing pressure from Japanese watchmakers

Then again, you could take a cleaner and simpler approach. Simply step away from the complicated war mongering of the Swiss watch industry and look instead to the Japanese world of watch making. The Japanese force is an illustrious industry that is recognised by the Swiss watchmakers and feared for their finesse.